Nijinsky

Synopsis:
After his phenomenal success with THE TURNING POINT, director (and former choreographer) Herbert Ross returns to the ballet world with this biography of the most famous male dancer of all time--Vaslav Nijinsky (George de la Pena). The film follows Nijinsky's phenomenal career, which began in Russia with the Kirov Ballet. When the impresario Sergei Diaghilev (Alan Bates) offered him the opportunity to join his newly formed Ballet Russe, young Vaslav accepted and left the Soviet Union forever. Thereafter, Nijinsky starred in works that would forever alter ballet history, among them LES SYLPHIDES, SCHEHERAZADE, and LE SPECTRE DE LA ROSE. And when he himself began choreographing, his brilliant avant-garde pieces such as AFTERNOON OF A FAUN and THE RITE OF SPRING incited riots. But when Nijinsky, who had been Diaghilev's lover, suddenly and unexpectedly married Polish countess Romola de Pulsky (Leslie Browne), an enraged Diaghilev fired him for good. Soon the blazingly charismatic star was on a downward spiral into madness from which he would never fully recover. Director Herb Ross is once again able to delve deep into the world of ballet, crafting a surprisingly moving tale of love, art, and jealousy.

Notes:
This marked the film debut for actor Jeremy Irons.